In recent hours, a desperate plea from a young Cuban woman went viral on social media as she tearfully sought help for the residents of the town of Guamo, in Río Cauto, Granma province.
"Please, I sincerely ask everyone to share this, to share it, the only thing I ask is that everyone shares this video," started the Cuban Mily Tamayo, tearfully, in a video that went viral on social media.
“The town of Guamo, in Río Cauto, where my parents live, is sinking; a damn train hasn’t appeared to evacuate people. People are at the terminal desperate, and the houses are sinking,” the young woman added.
“The water is covering them, please tag everyone to see if they send anything, the houses are being submerged by water. There are sick people who don't have care, my mom has high blood pressure,” she emphasized.
“I am desperate. I am far from my parents, and I can’t do anything. Please have mercy. Send something,” concluded the young woman, who referred to a “tren cañero” that had started evacuating some people.
Mily Tamayo's plea, which quickly went viral, prompted an institutional response.
The Ministry of Transportation of Cuba announced on Friday a special railway operation to evacuate residents stranded by the flooding in the Río Cauto popular council, province of Granma, in coordination with the authorities of Las Tunas and Granma.
According to what the minister stated on his Facebook profile, the device was based on a centralized plan and real-time monitoring to transfer people from the flooded area to safe locations.
According to the official report, a train departing from Camagüey left at 10:00 AM heading to Jobabo and continued its journey with five additional cars to Guamo, the epicenter of the operation.
As a reinforcement, the Ministry of Transport sent three railcars with their respective trailers to join the evacuation efforts, increasing the transport capacity and the frequency of movements in the operational stretches.
According to the report, the ruler Miguel Díaz-Canel, along with leaders from MINFAR and the Civil Defense, "have been monitoring the operation minute by minute."
Families from the municipality of Río Cauto reported that the water was rising rapidly and demanded “real information" and immediate assistance in a situation they have described as “something never seen before,” with streets and homes submerged and areas cut off.
The messages, shared on social media, question the assertion that “everything was under control” and warn that “there will be nothing left in Río Cauto” if reinforcements and basic supplies do not arrive.
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